Challenge

With the massification of programmes and student intakes, the university sector has evidenced a growth in the numbers of students entering from diverse and non-traditional tertiary backgrounds. Consequently there is an increasing need for academics to consider adopting diverse teaching and assessment practices to cater to divergent learning styles, such as ‘learning by doing’ (e.g. experiential learning).

Furthermore, for students absorbed in the minutiae of their everyday lives, the complex subject matter of international relations (IR) can be abstract and distant. It is thus crucial for IR academics to bridge meaningful connections between theoretical concepts and practical topics with which students can identify.

In a first year introduction to international relations course (1001GIR), the central aim was to expose students to theoretical concepts in international relations in an engaging and meaningful way for diverse learners.

Approach

In a first year Introduction to International Relations course (taught across Nathan and Gold Coast campuses), simulated workshops were incorporated as the centrepiece of the course to engage a diverse learner cohort. Within these 1.5 hour workshops, students must respond to real-time interactive activities in which students simulate a United Nations Security Council (UNSC) debate on a proposed humanitarian intervention in Syria. The aim of these simulations are to enhance student learning of foundational IR concepts, demonstrate creativity in real world problem-solving, and reflect on the tensions between moral and political reasoning.

Assessment
Students are assessed on their ability to contribute meaningfully in the workshop simulations: 10 per cent of the mark is assessed by the workshop facilitator and; 10 per cent of the mark is peer assessed. An integrated piece of authentic assessment, Policy Memorandum and Reflection, is also incorporated where students report from the position of their country’s Ambassador to the UN to their Foreign Minister on the process and outcomes of the negotiations. In the Reflection component, students critically reflect on the simulation as a learning activity.

Workshops
Each workshop consists of approximately 40 to 50 students. Over the course of the trimester, eight workshops are facilitated, with the UNSC debate conducted between workshops 6 and 7. Workshops 1 to 5 prepare students for the simulation and the final workshop is a press conference in which students debrief after the simulation.

In the preparatory workshops, students must form groups and adopt the position of either a humanitarian group or one of UNSC Permanent 5 (P5) positions, these include: the United States of America, Russia, China, the United Kingdom and France. The humanitarian group is tasked with lobbying P5 members to intervene in Syria for humanitarian reasons.

Support resources for students
A range of position papers are provided to students to give them background information on the foreign policy positions of each of the P5 members. “The position papers do not provide the ‘answers’, but serve as background resources outlining the determinants of the respective P-5 members foreign policy outlook and position on contemporary developments in the Middle East after the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings” (West & Halvorson, 2017, p. 7).

A video has also been produced which gives students an insight into the process of the simulation.

Outcomes

The multidimensional and evolving nature of the Syrian case study provides a number of key illustrations of the various aspects and theoretical concepts of IR. The simulation brings IR to life by placing students at the centre of decision-making, in which they must develop and negotiate foreign policy in a rapidly changing real-time ‘crisis’ situation.

Qualitative feedback obtained from students indicated a greater understanding of self and others’ cultures and perspectives. Opportunities were also provided for international students, to speak their local language when presenting in the simulation. This fostered a greater sense of community and global citizenship among the students.

Implement

If you are thinking of implementing this approach, consider the following:

• Identify the main themes / theory / content that you want your students to understand in workshops and ensure it is integrated within the lecture;
• Incorporate real-time case studies or scenarios that students regard to be locally and / or globally significant;
• Involve yourself within the simulation and approach the exercise as a performance in which you demonstrate energy, passion and enthusiasm;
• Allow students to choose their role or position;
• Allow for a summary or personal reflection at the end of each workshop to develop the metacognitive abilities of students;
• Ensure that you capture informal student feedback on what worked well, what could be improved and what the strengths of the approach were;
• Provide a depth of support resources for students, especially if the simulation is in their first year of study.

Griffith Graduate Attributes

This assessment and learning activity clearly aligns with the following Griffith Graduate Attributes: Knowledgeable and skilled with critical judgement; Effective communicators and collaborators; Innovative, creative and entrepreneurial; Socially responsible and engaged in their communities and; Effective in culturally diverse and international environments.

In this assessment item students must: have a thorough understanding of the Syrian crisis; develop innovative solutions to complex problems; negotiate with their peers; communicate their perspective in a respectful manner; and have an understanding and awareness of other perspectives and policies.

Support Resources

• Student engagement and deep learning in the first-year International Relations classroom: Simulating a UN Security Council Debate on the Syrian Crisis

  West, L., Halvorson, D. (2017).

• Engaging students and maintaining quality in the era of massification: Strategies and approaches for teaching large first-year courses. Australian Jou

  Halvorson, D. (2016).

Contributed by

• Griffith Business School
  School of Government and International Relations
  Dr Daniel Halvorson
  (07) 373 56420
  d.halvorson@griffith.edu.au
  http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2521-3742
  Griffith Experts profile
• Griffith Business School
  Griffith Asia Institute
  Lucy West
  (07) 373 56572
  lucy.west@griffith.edu.au
  
• Learning Futures
  

Preferred Citation

West, L., Halvorson, D. and Learning Futures. (2019). Simulation workshops to foster student engagement and deep learning. Retrieved from https://app.secure.griffith.edu.au/exlnt/entry/5305/view